Support Misty's Recovery: Second FFS Surgery Fund

Hi, my name is Misty! You may have shared my previous fundraiser or even donated to my first half of FFS (Facial Feminization Surgery) in April. If so, thank you SO MUCH!! Because of your generosity, I was able to undergo surgery and take time off from work to rest and recover! I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you, and I'm beyond grateful. I'm so incredibly happy with the results of my surgery so far and am already experiencing a much improved quality of life. I feel a huge decrease in dysphoria, resulting in more regulated emotions and improvements to my confidence and self-esteem.

I am asking again for community support because the second half of my FFS is coming up in September and need a little more help to ensure a smooth and easy recovery. It was originally scheduled for November, but my surgeon says he can get me in sooner seeing that I'm healing so quickly. I have been saving up, but the sooner date is making reaching my goal more of a challenge. Donating to my fund will ensure I will be able to pay my hospital bills and recover at home while I am unable to work.

If you don't know me, thank you for reading this far! Here is more about me:

I am an educator, the head of a Sensory Friendly program for children with autism, a musician, photographer, performer and a transgender woman!

I came out publicly on New Years Eve of 2020, but my relationship with gender has been a life-long journey. As a small child, I used to stay up late, unable to sleep, fantasizing stories in my head about waking up a girl. I would pray to God every night to transform into a girl and loved the episodes of my favorite shows where characters had to gender-swap for a day. I never understood why the boys would ever want to change back. I kept these feelings locked away because I knew my family and community would not accept me. As I grew older and puberty set in, the masculine features I would develop became my biggest insecurities. I tried telling myself the fantasies I had were impossible fairy tales for a child and there was nothing I could do to realize them. I had no idea I was battling gender dysphoria. Things got dark in my mid-twenties and I wasn’t planning on making it past 30. It was around that time I moved to LA with my then partner, and became friends so many people of all genders. I was amazed to discover I wasn’t alone and had no reason to be ashamed. I spent the past few years uncovering parts of myself I locked away and realized I was never a boy who wanted to be a girl. I was always a girl on the inside, and hormones helped me see it on the outside. I am so happy to take the next step of my journey with my first gender-affirming medical procedure.

My biggest source of dysphoria has always been features of my face. I’m happy with the changes hormones have given me, but they only go so far and unfortunately the way I am treated when wearing a face-covering is notably different than when I don’t. Like most trans women, I fear the risk of assault if I am clocked. I am cautious when entering any public bathroom and have never felt safe going to the locker room at my gym. For my well-being and safety, I have been working hard for over a year figuring out how to make Facial Feminization Surgery possible. I am fortunate to have insurance that will cover much of the surgery cost, but they will not pay for it entirely. I don’t make enough income to save easily and live paycheck to paycheck. By donating to this fund, you will help me cover my out-of-pocket cost, the work I will be missing, and living expenses when recovering from surgery.

Because I have met my insurance deductible, my out-of-pocket cost will be an estimated maximum of $3000 for my first surgery on May 3rd. I will be out of work for recovery for about a month receiving paid medical leave from my job, which will reimburse 75% of my usual paycheck. I am grateful for these benefits but it does not cover my rent and cost of living. I thought I could handle this on my own by picking up side gigs and wouldn’t have to ask for assistance, but I simply can’t build a savings on the income I earn.

I am setting my goal for $4000 to cover my medical expenses, loss of work, general living expenses, and any unexpected complications that may arise while recovering at home for the month of May. I will continue doing my best to save what I can and any donation helps. Thank you so much for your love and support!